tips for getting more speed out of these wheels? (w/o part editing)

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

Trying to build a supercar rover.

I have a vehicle that can go (down hill) at 45- 50 m/s on the Mun and stay on its wheels. But on flat terrain, the ruggedized wheel motors seem to top out at 24 m/s. Making it lighter doesn't help. (I just did a test with a .4 ton rover with the same top speed)

Any ideas?

Edited October 20, 2015 by Brainlord Mesomorph

[Sanic]

That's dangerously fast for a rover, especially downhill.

Anyway, from my understanding rover wheels have a set top speed that cannot be increased in any meaningful way.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

That's dangerously fast for a rover, especially downhill.

yes, yes it is.

(actually more dangerous uphill.)

That's dangerously fast for a rover, especially downhill.

Anyway, from my understanding rover wheels have a set top speed that cannot be increased in any meaningful way.

[JTpopcorn]

Add a jet with a thrust limiter

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

Add a jet with a thrust limiter

I'm on the Mun. (and I already have a "Batmobile" thruster )

I was wondering if I could do more with electric motors.

[cantab]

Yeah, the rover wheels won't drive above a certain maximum speed. You can use thrust, and in that case you can use aircraft landing gear instead.

[Claw]

24 m/s (and a few decimals) flat out is about the fastest I've been able to get the ruggedized wheels. I've not looked to see what their hard limit is, but 24 m/s is probably a safe bet.

Cheers,

~Claw

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

update: I'm able to get up to 50/ms on Minmus. But that's sort of skipping along the surface, not really "driving."

[Signo]

You can exceed 25 m/s on flat terrain on Kerbin if you add a little weight. (7/8 t of total weight should do the trick)

It will improve traction adding that last bit of speed.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

[Sharpy]

Yep, while you won't get much more out of the wheels, a ion thruster goes a long way.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

Yep, while you won't get much more out of the wheels, a ion thruster goes a long way.

Hmmm. I'll try it.....

[Claw]

Is your goal to go faster? Or go faster using only wheels?

The wheels themselves have a limit to how fast they can push. But (as noted), you can get going with extra thrust. Ion is certainly a favorite, and should work well on Minmus.

Something else to be aware of...above about 34 m/s, the wheels start to lose their ability to steer effectively. And if I recall, going 50 m/s on Minmus can result in a lot of air time. (Dunno if you are eyeing the Elcano challenge.)

Good luck,

-Claw

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

Is your goal to go faster? Or go faster using only wheels?

Something else to be aware of...above about 34 m/s, the wheels start to lose their ability to steer effectively. And if I recall, going 50 m/s on Minmus can result in a lot of air time. (Dunno if you are eyeing the Elcano challenge.)

Good luck,

-Claw

Both.

The "Ion super-charger" is quite appealing. LFO thrusters have a weight problem for long-tern use.

The real top end seems to be 50 m/s when the "rugged" wheels just pop. (but a Kerbal can fix a flat)

EDIT: I'm going to post a tutorial about "High Speed Rover Piloting" it *is* doable. (AND FUN! )

Edited October 20, 2015 by Brainlord Mesomorph